Under a Djinn's Brief Protection
by Lioness Deity
Summary: Title wasn't a spur of the moment like the one inside. Nathaniel receives a strange doll and does what he can to get rid of it, unaware it does as Underwood says. Despite Underwood's words to be a lie...


Title: Protective Djinn...?

Started: 12/05

Finished: 12/24

Summary:. Nathaniel gets a strange doll from Underwood and tries to bury it in yard. Pre-Amulet of Samarkand

Loosely based off of the Nutcracker…

 **A/N: starts out slow then picks up.**

[Christmas Eve]

Master, what is this?"

Nathaniel, once receiving a rather stranger figure of porcelain, asked his master. The doll was of a dark skinned boy, probably another 6 years his senior. Wearing nothing but a wrapped loin cloth and a large necklace, Nathaniel could tell the figure was supposedly theming Ancient Egypt. Nathaniel kept his eyes set on Arthur Underwood. His master Arthur raised him since he was five. Currently, seven and he still lived with him. He was told his parents sold him to the ways of magic to make quick money.

Arthur began a lie. "It was supposed to keep spirits away…?" It sounded more like a question. Nathaniel bought it with skepticism and set the doll down. To be quite frank, he found it rather unnerving than promising. A few more gift exchanges and he was set on helping Mrs. Underwood clean up. After that it was bye bye dollie! Nathaniel grabbed a shovel, went out and began to dig a hole. He remembers his first encounter with demons. Not pretty...he tossed the doll into the ditch and filled it back up, stomping over the spot quickly and rushed back inside before His Master had a chance to call him to his room. The rest of that afternoon was filled with nothing but work, chores and practice. It was end of the day came and the apprentice couldn't be happier to get everything out of the way and sleep at last.

Something prevented him though; he tossed and turned, struggling for a comfortable position. It wasn't until he had his back turned from the wall and saw something by the doorway to his room. Hesitantly, he sat up. "Sir, do you need anything?" he squeaked out. No response. He tried to talk again. "Master?" this time, Nathaniel got out of bed and approached. he squinted, like it would improve his vision in the dark. Nothing lit the room except for the moonlight flowing through the window. Even that couldn't help. Nathaniel kept walking in short steps until he was close enough to the doorway. The figure towered over him by another foot or so. The boy couldn't make out what the figure was doing. the tip of the shadow shifted; it was looking down at Nathaniel. The gaze itself was enough to send the child back to his bed and wrap himself up and face the wall. Nathaniel heard footstep growing louder and louder behind him. He was panicking, trying to find some way out and get help. He was close to crying, thinking, No hope! No Hope! repeatedly.

SMACK! Clang! Shunk!

Nathaniel dared not to turn around and see what was happening. He slowly turned back around once the ruckus ceased. his room wasn't a huge mess, but some books were out of place and so were papers. he scans his room for any new objects. It hit him when his eyes locked on a doll on a shelf. The egyptian boy. it was dirty and covered in stains of red but it was still in good shape. Nathaniel scooted back and evasively went to the closet tool spot. he grabbed the shovel once more, went back and got the doll and rushed into town. he still had time until morning came. he Dug another hole, this time in front of another house, he didn't care whose it was, and dropped the doll in. he patched up the hole and retreated to his abode. He put off the job of cleaning his room for the next day and rested.

[Christmas Day]

Mrs. Underwood cooked breakfast that Christmas morning. Sadly, the boy hardly had sleep. His dreams were filled to the brim with the strange events of that night. he couldn't help but wonder. What the heck happened? How did that doll get out. Nathaniel panicked at the thought of the doll coming in and killing him in his sleep. Jeez, I wonder what Master had to go through to get that thing! the spitting thought help his mind. He also knew he couldn't say it aloud. he finished his meal in a rush and went straight up to clean the evidence of what sounded like a fight. "Boy!" He heard. Not now… The apprentice hissed. He closed his door when leaving the chamber, embarrassed of the mess and went down. "Master!" he called, once finding said man. I arather large box was handed to the boy, he was barely able to lift it up. "What… is this, sir?" Nathaniel wheezed out. A knife was handed out and he opened up the gift. A look of confusion was sent. In the box was a rather large set of books. Summoning, spell casting, heck, the books at the bottom of the box were advanced! The boy accepted it. Who knew it would come in handy later on. In his life. Eventually. he was dismissed and he quickly learned a levitation spell. Even that didn't work to get the box into his room.

By the time the set was in his room, he was tired. Unfortunately, the spell took up most of Nathaniel's energy and he leapt into bed with no second thought. Maybe later, I'll study and all, his actions were captivated by his thoughts and sleep slowly took over him. The unusual dream of the night before struck him again!He was still cuddled up in bed, the noises filled his ears and he wouldn;t turn around. The image of the doll clouded his mind about the morning after.

He awoke back up. he turned to the set of studies. on top of it was the doll again. He screamed in fury and shock. "HOW?!" he shouted, gesturing to the doll. He got up and grabbed it off of the box and stared at it. The gaze of the gold eyes of the doll just filled him with anger, and he threw it at the window with no avail; it bounced off the glass and onto the floor. He hauled out a book on summoning and brought it down on the doll, in hopes of smashing it. It did the trick. the face and torso was cracked. Nathaniel brought it down on it again. The cracks got thicker and thicker with each strike until it fell apart. Breathing heavily, Nathaniel felt relieved. He tossed the books back at the set and went back to sleep. A holiday, he was lucky he got the day off, really. No dreams, no problems.

He awoke with a start and it was already past noon and dinner was ready. The couple had been waiting. They said grace and ate. The day went quick, Nathaniel admit and went back to his room. He went back to rearranging his shelves into fitting the new studies he received, adding cleaning the doll in the process. The glass shards were tossed away and he finished. Relief didn't come easy when he went to bed and saw the Doll sitting on a different shelf, as if trying to stay hidden. Lethargy took over him and he left it alone for the night. If destroying it won't make it go away, what will? He thought. He curled into a fetal position and pulled the covers over his head.

A tug at the sheets signaled a little game of tug-o-war until Nathaniel kicked at his opponent. The covers were yanked once more and he's thrown off the bed and into his wardrobe with a thud. "OK, who are-" Nathaniel's sentence stopped cold and so did his blood. the man, or should we say creature, before him wasn't like the doll. He was much older and his head bared similarity to a jackal's. His hands were raised and Nathaniel scream as they were brought down to crush him. Something yanked him out of the way and it was fast. he was on the other side of the room. before him was fight. between the two strangers from nights before; the Egyptian boy against the beast.

The boy was thrown towards Nathaniel and lands on him. "Oof," Nathaniel grunted and pushed him off. "Who are you?!" Nathaniel Demanded. "Names later! First, your nearest Pentacle?" Nathaniel breezed around his room for anything to write or carve with. "Uhh…" His train of thought moved a little too long when he finds an old, rusty knife. "That'll do!" The demon snatched the knife out of his hand and carves the needed pentacle, whispering some incantation. "No questions until we're safe!" The stranger said. He held Nathaniel's hand and jumped into the portal, dragging the boy in. The world swirled around them into a whole new world. A colorful one, at that. Nathaniel's ambitiins focused on finding out who this stranger was. "Ok, who are you?" He asks. The other looks back at him. "Someone," he answers. "Ok, what are you?" He asks. "A Djinn, and welcome to here, the Other Place!" The creature introduced. "You look like that doll I had in my room!" This stopped the djinn cold. "You can ignore...that," he says. He turns back around facing forward ahead of them. "Pentacle!" He shouts, pointing up at a hole. He flies up and out fo the Other Place. A random home. A magician probably in his twnties was in awe at the sight of the desired Djinn and the dark-haired lad at his current "care." "Run, kid!" The Djinn advised. "Wait, I don't-" Nathaniel was cut off. "Run!" Bartimaeus went to serve the magician.

Nathaniel was quickly kicked out, anyway. He made his way back to the house. He had time to get back. With the designation coming into view, he started to run. "Oh thank you!" He praised and reached the front door. He pulled at it. Locked, he figured. Shed...maybe? Not? He trudges around the house, looking for the window to his bed room. He grasps onto the gutter side and tries to climb up. He made it as far as a few feet off the ground before it snapped and he fell. He hit the ground with a loud thud. Getting back up, he duster himself off. Nevermind, he thought and turned to go back to head to the front.

Crack...bump...KRAO!

He looks up at his room window which was no longer a window. It was instead a hole in the side of the house. Nathaniel's decision took a turn and he decided he should go back when he saw the Jackal headed man with Mr. Underwood in his hands. He swuinted up at the beast which threw a few objects towads him. His forehead got nailed by a pencil cup. "Ow!" He yelped, rubbing the spot and looked back uo. It was gone that time. He turned behind him as the hybrid landed. Natha iel couldn't process t all but heknew the next place he was was in the other realm. He remembered the title: the Other Place. He and Underwood were set down (see: tossed aside like rag dolls).

He went to Underwood's aid. "Sir?" He shook the man for a reaction. Nothing. "Sir?" He tried again, getting a responce: a weak one. "Boy?" Underwood seemed dazed. Bith facedthe same direction as another one, nit of the same form as the Jackal man. "These'll do," he said. The Magician began with thinking of a way out. He sits up right, mutterung simething. Nathaniel was curious and tried ti get his attention. No reaction was given. Nathaniel stayed close his master until the mutterug was over. Seeig the attention of the demons were still locked onto each other, the two began to find their way out of there.

A tap on the shoulder had Nathaniel jumping. He turned around and saw Bartimaeus. He looked up at Underwood. Without question, thought or common sense they followed him out. "You lead us out?" underwood questioned the Djinn. "I know it's surprising for me too," the other remarked. He left shortly. The two made their way back to the house. "Sir? You said demons are all bad. Why did that one help us?" Nathaniel asked. No answer. Underwood stayed quiet the whole time. Nathaniel assumed the silence was to be perseived as anger or frustration. Maybe both. They made it safely and Mr. Underwood had Nathaniel sleep on an old sofa. "Until we can get your room repaired, you'll sleep here. Your studies will continue however, less text books will be used. Some were destroyed," he explained. The apprentice said no more that night and went to the sofa.

Underwood snuck downstaurs and pulled put a stick of insence. He had prepared the wiod long before with an amneisia potion. It wasn't too string just to erase memory the day before. He saw now he and Nathaniel were in a close call. He understood what the demons wanted; to give magicians a taste of their own medicine: they wanted to be freed. Underwood decided it was best ti keep it all a secret. Knowing Nathaniel at this early age, the boy would probably spill it somehow and someway. He lit the scented stick and placed it in a holder, leaving it the nearest to the boy. Nathaniel shifted at the new scent but the movement didn't last long enough to signal he was waking fully. Underwood fled the scene back to his own room and rested for the remaining night.

A jolt up. "What-" he cut himself off wondering about why he was sleeping on the sofa. He got out of the sofa and into the shower, contemplating it all. He let it go and got out and got dressed. His heart gave a jump when he saw the doll, taped and glued back together. Sitting on the sofa, staring at him. Nathaniel tucked it away under the sheets and had breakfast. He went up to his room wondering why the caution tale was there. He opened the door. There, his master along with a few...demons? "Sir? What are-" Nathaniek was cut iff by a push out the doorsay and the door closing behind. He turned back, knowing now not to question the reconstruction project and went down for breakfast.

 **LD: I have the high chance if editing this soon. For the sake of holiday spirit, I wrote this up. I got it, the average human's reaction to the Other Place may be distortion. I minda ignored that a bit for the sake f them surviving. I'll definateky re do most of this one.**

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


End file.
